Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 132

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144

USA > Montana > Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III > Part 132

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filled other public positions since, Mr. Brooks, since retiring from the magistrate's office, has been busily engaged in the real estate business, and the Brooks Realty Company is now one of the most important in its line in Southern Montana, handling city and ranch properties, loans and writing insurance for about fifteen standard companies. The offices of the Brooks Realty Company are in the Strand Theater Building. Mr. Brooks also owns a modern home at 112 South Third Street and other local real estate.

Mr. Brooks is unmarried and has been able to devote the best energies and talents of his accumu- lated experience and wisdom to business and public affairs. He served three years as secretary of the Park County Agricultural Association, from 1914 to 1917. He has also been president of the Munici- pal Ownership League, devoted to the task of ac- quiring waterworks for the city of Livingston. He is a member of the Park County Chamber of Com- merce. In 1915 he was also appointed United States land commissioner at Livingston, and in that office as well as in other capacities he has done much to advertise and promote the best interests of Southern Montana agriculture.

As a republican he was elected a member of the Legislature in 1916 and reelected in 1918 and 1920, serving in the 15th, 16th and 17th sessions. In the former session he was a member of the committee on appropriations, fish and game, and in the 16th and 17th sessions was chairman of the fish and game committee. He was responsible for the legis- lation which gave Park County a state hatchery. Perhaps the most interesting part of his legislative record, and the one which establishes his reputation for independence when the best interests of the state are at stake, was his voting with two other fellow re- publican members to sustain the veto of Governor Stewart of House Bill No. 47 creating a permanent tax commission. One of the grounds for the veto was that the members of the commission were named in the bill instead of being subject to appointment by the Governor. Mr. Brooks gave his reason for sustain- ing this veto as follows: "I voted with the demo- crats because as a good republican I advocate sen- sible legislation which will promote the best inter- ests and welfare of the state. Passage of such measures which seek to rob the Governor of his appointive power would create a dangerous prece- dent. Such a precedent might be followed when democrats had control of the Legislature if a repub- lican was elected governor."

Mr. Brooks is a talented musician, and for the . past twelve years has been director of the Gate- . way City Band. His individual instrument is the cornet. He is a member of the American Fed- eration of Musicians. He is active in Masonry, being affiliated with Livingston Lodge No. 32 An- cient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; a mem- ber of Livingston Consistory No. I of the Scottish Rite and has served as master of Livingston Lodge

of Perfection and as master of the Rose Croix. He is also affiliated with Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Helena, and is past exalted ruler of Livingston Lodge No. 246, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. His church membership is Episcopal.

JAMES J. MICHELS. While for several years past Mr. Michels has been owner of a general mercan- tile establishment at Archer, his most constructive efforts in Sheridan County have been put forth as a farmer and rancher. His experiences should be described not only for the credit they reflect on Mr. Michels, but also for the encouraging lessons they yield for the farming interests of that locality.

Mr. Michels, who came into this region of Mon- tana ten years ago, was born in Morton County, North Dakota, July 18, 1873. Both his father and grandfather were named James. Grand father James was of Scotch parentage, was a grain mer- chant at Elmira, New York, and was accidentally killed while loading grain aboard a boat. James Michels, Sr., married Miss O'Hare, and they were the parents of two children, James and Libbie, the latter Mrs. George Gibson of Utica, New York.

James Michels, Jr., father of the Archer rancher and business man, was born October 3, 1844, in Corning, New York, and is now a retired farmer .of Benson County, North Dakota. He gave about twenty years to the service of the Government as a soldier, first as a volunteer in the Union army dur- ing the Civil war. He was a member of the Twenty- second New York Artillery during the last three years of the war. He was in some of the big bat- tles, including Chancellorsville and the Wilderness, and was at Appomattox when Lee's army sur- rendered. After the war he re-enlisted at Hart's Island, New York Harbor, and went with his com- pany to Havana, Cuba, then to Galveston and to Fort Van Houston, Texas, for a time was stationed at Fort Worth, and, still in the army, came north to Fort Rice, North Dakota, and was at different posts in that region until 1882, when he received his honorable discharge at Fort Totten.

On leaving the army James Michels entered a homestead, on which he has lived for nearly forty years. He also entered heartily into the spirit of community life, was elected one of the first Board of County Commissioners of Benson County, was twice elected as a republican to the House of the North Dakota Legislature, served twenty years as a mem- ber of the school board and eight years as township assessor. These facts serve to measure the true worth and value of his citizenship and character. He is affiliated with the Masons and Odd Fellows and religiously leans towards the Presbyterian de- nomination. While in Virginia as a Union soldier he met Miss Ellen Riley, a Pennsylvania lady, and they were married after the war. She was born at Belfast, Ireland, daughter of Hugh Riley, a na- tive of the same city. She died January 9, 1901, and was the mother of the following children : James J .; Edward V., of Oyon, Alberta, Canada ; Violet H., wife of W. H. Mummery, of Utica, Michigan; and Charles Arthur, who is county agent at Shelby, Montana.

James J. Michels acquired his early education in the public schools of a country district in Ben- son County, North Dakota, later attended a school for traction engineers at Fargo, and remained at home helping his father on the farm until he was twenty-three. He then took up farming for him- self, and when the field work did not require his presence he operated tractors and stationary en- gines.

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Mr. Michels left North Dakota and came to Montana March 27, 1910. He had made some prog- ress toward material prosperity, and brought with him to the new country four small horses, a plow, a wagon and about $200 of borrowed money. After proving up his claim he owned twelve head of horses, had his farm and improvements, twenty-three head of cattle and was in debt less than $400.

He settled in section 6, township 23, range 53, his location being near Archer, one of the villages on the Scobey branch of the Great Northern Rail- road. He did the work of improvement and de- velopment through three years necessary to acquire title. His experience as a grain raiser while on the claim encouraged him to believe in the reliability of this region of the Northwest as an agricultural country. His home on the claim was a modest frame building of three rooms, subsequently en- larged to four, and he also put up a barn and other stock shelter. He also ran horses and cat- tle on the range under the brand "A six bar."

When Mr. Michels left his homestead he moved to Archer and entered general merchandising on Oc- tober 3, 1913. He was the active and personal head of the business until 1917, and still owns the store, though its management is in other hands. Mr. Michels for the past three years has resumed farm- ing, operating on the Fort Peck Reservation, where he leased two sections of raw land. He prepared it for occupancy by the erection of a 11/2 story resi- dence 16 by 24 feet, with barns and cattle sheds, granary and blacksmith shop, investing about $3,000 in lumber and material for these improvements. During the past three years he has broken up 1,080 acres and has devoted the land to flax and wheat. The results obtained make a commendable and progressive showing, indicating what is possible in both good and bad years. The first year he had 600 acres in cultivation and threshed 1,960 bushels of flax. The second, 960 acres were divided among three crops, and he obtained 2,600 bushels of flax, 5,700 bushels of wheat, 576 bushels of oats. In 1919, the great drought year, when so many farmers failed utterly in their crops, Mr. Michels threshed 4,224 bushels of flax, 3,600 bushels of wheat and 530 bushels of oats off the same area of land he had before. In addition he had 2,500 bushels of unthreshed oats. These figures, considering the high prices for grain and flax in 1919-20, may be allowed to speak for themselves. Mr. Michels has also entered vigorously into the cattle business, and plans to concentrate his attention upon the breeding of pedigreed Durhams. He raises horses for farm use, the heavy draft and Percheron strain.

Mr. Michels came to Montana from Minnewau- kan, North Dakota. His only fraternal connection is with the Odd Fellows Lodge at that point. He began voting as a republican, first supporting Major Mckinley, and has been affiliated with that party ever since. He was interested in the war program of the nation, and responded in proportion to his means to the various calls for funds.

In North Dakota, December 27, 1901, Mr. Michels married Miss Anna C. Fugle, who was born in Becker County, Minnesota, September 10, 1879, daughter of John and Mary (Olson) Fugle. Her father, a native of the Mohawk Valley of New York State and of German ancestry, came out to North Dakota in 1892 and is a farmer at Devil's Lake. Mrs. Michels was educated in the common schools, the Devil's Lake High School, and taught a term in the country before her marriage. She is the oldest of eight children, and her own fam- ily number ten, Vernon J., Lloyd J., Leah A., Roy

E., Andrew L., Frederick E., Charles F., Clair Albert, Joseph M. and Elsie A.

ROGER LOUIS STROBEL, who for a number of years was one of the officials of the American Smelting and Refining Company at Helena, in 1920 organized and is actively associated with the Barnett-Strobel Company, one of the important industrial concerns of the capital city.

Mr. Strobel is a highly trained technical man, and has spent many years in the mining and smelt- "ing districts of the West. He was born at Cin- cinnati, Ohio, June 5, 1885. His father, A. C. Strobel, was born in the same city in 1850, spent part of his youth at Chicago, where he attended school, and after his marriage lived at Cincinnati, where he was secretary and treasurer of the Ru- dolph Wurlitzer Company, a nationally known house of musical instrument makers. In 1902 he moved his family to Salt Lake City, where . he managed a retail musical merchandise business. He died while on a trip to New York City in 1906. He was a re- publican in politics. His wife was Marguerite Farny, who was born in December, 1854, at War- ren, Warren County, Pennsylvania, and is now liv- ing at Cincinnati. She is the mother of two sons, Landon F. and Roger L. The former, who at- tended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York, is a civil engineer practicing his pro- fession in New York City.

Roger Louis Strobel attended the public schools of Cincinnati, graduating from the Cincinnati Tech- nical School in 1900. Then followed a period of illness, and on recovering he went to Chicago in 1901 and for a time was in the employ of Sears, Roebuck and Company. In June, 1902, on removing to Salt Lake City, he found an opening in the Murray plant of the American Smelting and Re- fining Company. He began work there in the ranks, and later qualified for the technical post of chem- ist. After several years of practical experience he resigned in August, 1906, and entered Columbia University at New York City, from which he was graduated with the degree Engineer in Mines in IgII. He is a member of the Delta Kappa Epsi- lon fraternity of Columbia University. From July, 1911, until September, 1912, Mr. Strobel was again with the Murray plant at Salt Lake City as chemist. September 15, 1912, the American Smelting and Re- fining Company sent him to the East Helena plant as chief chemist, and he was one of the officials of that industry for over seven years. In the spring of 1915 he was promoted to assistant superintendent and in 1916 to superintendent of the plant. He re- signed this post February 1, 1920.

Mr. Strobel acquired an interest in the Helena Machinery and Wrecking Company, and it was this business which he reorganized as the Barnett-Stro- bel Company, with plant and offices at 1530 Na- tional Avenue. Mr. Strobel is a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical En- gineers. He is affiliated with the Montana Club of Helena, is an independent republican, is a mem- ber of Helena Lodge No. 3, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, Helena Consistory No. 3 of the Scottish Rite, and Algeria Temple of the Mystic Shrine.

His home is at 625 Holter Street. July 28, 1915, at Helena, he married Mrs. Emma (Gamer) Holter, daughter of Fred and Emma (Fink) Gamer. Her mother is still living at Helena. Her father was a Butte merchant and was killed at Anaconda in a street car accident. He was one of the early Mon- tanans, having driven an ox team from Salt Lake City. Mr. and Mrs. Strobel have two children:

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Suzanne, born April 17, 1917; and Margaret, born November 10, 1918.

JOSEPH J. GUNTHER, To Joseph J. Gunther be- longs the honor of being one of the builders of Sheridan County, the pioneer lawyer of Plenty- wood, the third mayor of the city, and the first attorney to locate for the practice of law in what is now Sheridan County. What now constitutes the present Town of Plentywood was but a wheat field when Mr. Gunther arrived in this community in March, 1909, and some months elapsed before the present townsite was platted. Some months after his arrival, in November, 1909, he purchased some lots in the town, and a part of his present office building was the third structure to be erected on the townsite. In 1910 he established himself regu- larly in the practice of law, and with the passing years he has won a prominent place among the legal practitioners of the community.

Joseph J. Gunther is a native son of Grant Coun- ty, Wisconsin, born July 20, 1877. He is a grandson of the founder of the Gunther family in America, William Gunther, who crossed the Atlantic about 1852 and established his home in Wisconsin, and in that state his son Theodore was born. The fam- ily subsequently removed to Missouri, and there Theodore Gunther received his meager educational training in Nodaway County .. In Wisconsin he mar- ried Miss Mary Buech, and both still survive, living on the Nodaway County farm in Missouri which was purchased by William Gunther about 1868. The children born to their marriage are: Joseph J., of Plentywood; Chris, whose death occurred near Culbertson, Montana, in August, 1918; Charles, who died at Stewart, Minnesota, in November fol- lowing the death of his brother, both being victims of influenza; William G., who served as a soldier overseas during the recent World war, and he is now located at International Falls, Minnesota; Mar- garet, the wife of Henry Meyer, of Parnell, Mis- souri; Veronica, the wife of Frank Meyer, also of Parnell; Josephine, who married Alois Henkler, of Clyde, Missouri; and Frowin, whose home is in Con- ception, Missouri.

Joseph J. Gunther lived the life of his childhood on a farm, and followed the plow for his parents until he reached the age of twenty years. The family had located in Nodaway County, Missouri, in 1883, and in the Town of Conception the lad completed his educational training in Stanbury Nor- mal, graduating from that institution in both the teachers' and scientific courses. He at once began teaching in the Town of Fawcett, and the second school which he taught was at Willowbunch, lo- cated about fifteen miles south of St. Joseph. Shortly afterward Mr. Gunther began the study of law, and subsequently finished his law course in the Uni- versity of Missouri in June, 1906, and at once began practice in Maryville. But after a few months spent in law practice there he went to South Da- kota to be near the opening of the Tripp County public lands. He reached Pierre without surplus funds, and while awaiting the opening and the date for bar examinations he donned overalls and went to work in the sewer ditch then being constructed in Pierre. When the time came for the opening, however, he was established as a member of the law firm of Ink and Gunther, having thrown aside his working clothes long enough to take the bar ex- amination, and their office was located in Gregory.

Mr. Gunther first saw Montana in 1905, for in that year he came out to the opening of the Crow Indian Reservation and spent a few months in Bil- lings, returning to Missouri at the close of that

period to complete his educational training. It was not until 1907 that he again came to Montana, spend- ing a few months prospecting about Culbertson, and deciding to locate permanently in the North- west he moved from Missouri to South Dakota, practicing law for a year at Gregory, and from that point came to Plentywood to establish his home and law practice. His introduction to Plentywood was through the influence of Professor Dale, prin- cipal of the Culbertson school and a member of the board of examiners of Valley County. Pro- fessor Dale examined and licensed the young lawyer- teacher and sent him into this region to teach the first school established in Plentywood, while at the same time he was equipped with a certificate as a lawyer. He taught the first two terms of school held in the town, and then established himself in a modest office and made ready for any legal busi- ness which might come his way. Within the period of those early formative days to the present time Mr. Gunther has gradually built up a large legal practice and has won a high place in the legal fra- ternity of Sheridan County.

He also embraced the opportunity of claiming land from the public domain, entering his claim five miles southwest of Plentywood, where he built the customary shack of lumber, earning the price of the material as an employe in the lumber yard at Plentywood. He received 25 cents an hour for his services, and he employed his time in this manner when not occupied with his law business. His shack was 14 hy 16 feet in dimensions, and this served him as his bachelor home during the time he was proving up his land. He still owns this farm.

Mr. Gunther cast his first presidential vote in 1900, supporting Major Mckinley, although he had been reared in a democratic home and his father was a staunch supporter of democratic principles. In 1908, however, the son supported Mr. Bryan for the presidency, while two years later, in 1910, he attended the republican convention at Glasgow, Mon- tana, as an alternate delegate. When Sheridan County was organized he was an independent can- didate for the office of county attorney, and in 1914 was a candidate at the primaries for the republican nomination for that office, but was not successful. In 1916 he was the democratic candidate for the office of district judge, also losing the nomination, and in 1918 became the republican candidate for county attorney, receiving the endorsement of the League and was elected to the office as the successor of L. J. Onstad. H is now completing his first term in that office.

On the 17th of December, 1917, at Glasgow, Mon- tana, Mr. Gunther was married to Anna J. Ras- mussen, who was born in Minnesota in October, 1879. Her father was by birth a Dane, but in time he became a resident of Outlook, Montana.

JAMES DEEGAN is one of the few men living in Montana whose identification with the common- wealth began before the year 1880. In September of 1877 he crossed the international boundary line into the state and into the United States from the Cypress Hills country near the Alberta and Sas- katchewan boundary, where he had lived for sev- eral years as a freighter, Cypress Hills being his headquarters for his freighting between Winnipeg, the most accessible railroad point, to places along the route west to Cypress Hills. He was engaged in hunting buffalo at the same time, and the eight years which he followed the dual business were years profitably spent. His difficulties with the Indians were few and not more serious than the

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loss of his horses when he was occasionally "set afoot," as he expresses it.

Mr. Deegan came to the United States during the Nez Perce Indian outbreak under Chief Joseph, the excitement of the outbreak attracting him as well as the favorable news of the region itself. He stopped first at Fort Benton, which is directly south of Cypress Hills about 150 miles, and remained about the fort without engaging in any vocation for a year or so. Returning then to Cypress Hills, he began trading with the Sitting Bull band of In- dians who had fled into that country after the Custer massacre, Mr. Deegan continuing that occupation for a few years and then worked in the trading store of Kendall and Smith at Wood Mountain. This firm were Indian traders who had forts all along the Missouri River, but they subsequently sold out to Leighton and Jordan, and Mr. Deegan continued with the successors until 1884, when he went to Dakota and entered a homestead in Rolette County, remaining on the claim until he secured title to it. In 1887, when the Great Northern Railroad was being built up the Missouri and Milk rivers, he located at Hinsdale, where he was engaged in the cattle business and ranching until 1910 under the brand "D Diamond" on the left ribs on the cattle and on the left shoulder on his horses, and he also owned the "T 4" brand of cattle. In 1910 Mr. Deegan disposed of his ranch and stock, and com- ing down to Frazer entered into another line of business, engaging in merchandising.

One incident of his early life in Montana which stands out clearly was his participation in the burial of soldiers killed in General Miles' army in the en- gagement with Chief Joseph and his band in Octo- ber, 1877. Although the General had captured the Chief and his outfit, he had had time to only tem- porarily bury his dead before winter came on. He covered the bodies with sod, and they lay there until Mr. Deegan's party came on the mission of burial, he having charge of that little party of four. The bodies had not been disturbed, and the burial squad under Mr. Deegan dug a trench fifty-five feet long, working at night to avoid the Sioux and Assiniboine Indians, still on the war path. They did the work in six days and then returned with- out injury. During the day time they kept them- selves hid in deep coulees, where parties of Indians occasionally passed along seeking merchandise, which they had concealed after stealing it from the Cow Island boat landing.

Mr. Deegan was born in Quebec, Canada, Octo- ber 7, 1852, a son of Daniel Deegan, who was born in Queens County, Ireland. The father immigrated to America in young manhood and located in Que- bec, where he engaged in the brewing business. He lived out his life in that city and died in 1870, at the age of fifty-two. He married Elizabeth Kelley, born in Kings County, Ireland. She came to Can- ada in her early life, and passed away in Quebec some years after the death of her husband. Of their four children James was the third in order of birth, and he is the only one who sought a home in the United States. All the other members of the family have passed away.

It was about ten years ago that James Deegan located at Frazer and opened a store in partnership with Daniel Knapp, and he also owned an interest in the store of Knapp and Deegan at Oswego. The Knapp and Deegan partnership has since been dis- solved, Mr. Knapp taking the business of the firm at Oswego and Mr. Deegan the store at Frazer. He has also been identified with many other business interests of Valley County, and is a stockholder and director of the First National Bank of Glasgow.

Mr. Deegan became an American citizen while proving up his claim in North Dakota, and when the time came to cast his first presidential ballot it went to support Grover Cleveland and he has ever since supported the principles of the democratic party. He was appointed the first sheriff of Valley County in 1893, continuing in the office until the first election. That includes his official work save when he served as deputy sheriff under Sheriff Kyle for two years. His own incumbency of the office covered a period when "rustling" was indulged in, and he was the means of ending the careers of several of such un- desirable residents of his county by sending them to prison. All of his official service occurred while he was a resident of Hinsdale, but he did not per- mit it to interfere with his business of ranching. His only fraternal connection is with the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Glasgow, of which he is one of the charter members.

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Montana, its story and biography; a history of aboriginal and territorial Montana and three decades of statehood, Volume III, Part 132

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society Number of Pages: 1144

Author: Stout, Tom, 1879- ed
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 1144